1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a beverage bottling or container filling plant having a beverage bottle or container labeling machine, and a beverage bottle or container labeling machine. The present application further relates to rotary labeling machines for applying labels to bottles or containers. The present application relates to a gluing apparatus with at least one glue roller which can be driven so that it rotates around its roller axis. The gluing apparatus also comprises at least one glue applicator and distributor element for the production of a primary glue application on a peripheral surface of the glue roller which surrounds the roller axis and moves past a glue dispenser and at least one glue scraper which is provided on a glue scraper holder and is in contact with a scraper segment with an application force produced by at least one spring element against a peripheral area of the glue roller which extends in the direction of the roller axis and is downstream of the glue dispenser in the direction of rotation of the glue roller.
2. Background Information
Background information is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily admit that subsequently mentioned information and publications are prior art.
Some devices for the gluing of workpieces are for example for the gluing of curved pieces or rails made of flat goods. One feature that all these devices have in common is that for the application of the glue, there is a glue roller that extends into a pan-like glue container and rotates around a horizontal axis. To wipe off the excess glue on the glue roller, wipers are provided in these devices. Some of these wipers are held on a frame of the device in question only by means of leaf-spring-like elements or spring segments. In some cases, however, the wipers are also fastened to a holder which, for its part, is connected to the device frame by hinges or articulated joints. These devices are neither intended nor suitable for use as gluing devices in a labeling units.
Gluing devices for use in labeling machines, e.g. in labeling units of such machines, are known in a wide variety of realizations and comprise essentially a glue applicator and distributor element which is generally in the form of a bar or rail, and a glue roller which can be driven in rotation around its roller axis and is thereby moved past a glue dispenser of the glue applicator and distributor element. As part of this process, first a primary glue application is laid down, from which, by means of a glue scraper which is downstream of the glue dispenser in the direction of rotation of the glue roller, a uniform secondary glue application or glue film is produced, which is then transferred to the labels to be glued, either directly or indirectly by applying glue to label palettes with which the labels are subsequently extracted from a label magazine.
The glue scraper is in contact pivotably and flexibly, by means of spring means or with an application force generated by these spring means, against a scraper segment or scraper element on the peripheral surface of the glue roller. To achieve a uniform glue film at least on the area of the glue drum which is to be glued and to adjust the thickness of this glue film, in gluing devices of the prior art, complex devices are provided to calibrate and/or orient and/or adjust the spring-mounted glue scraper. One disadvantage of this design, among others, is that a contamination of the elements for the calibration and/or orientation and/or adjustment of the glue scraper and for the spring mounting are inevitable, primarily with glue and/or with foreign substances that are mixed with the glue, and these elements can thereby lose some or all or substantially all or most of their functional capabilities.
Some devices include a gluing apparatus for use in labeling machines comprising, among other things, a glue roller, a glue applicator and distributor element for the production of a primary glue application on the peripheral surface of the glue roller from a glue rail which is downstream of the glue applicator device in the direction of rotation of the glue roller and which, for the production of the glue film with the required film thickness, must be at an accurately specified or predetermined or desired distance from the periphery of the glue roller, and a scraper which is in contact against the glue roller and is formed by a spring plate with which any residual glue which is present on the glue roller is removed before any new application of glue. One of several disadvantages with this gluing apparatus is that to achieve the desired glue film thickness, a very precise adjustment of the glue rail is necessary or desired, and there can also be significant operational interruptions caused by foreign objects which are present on the peripheral surface of the glue roller, such as, for example, dried glue, bits and pieces of labels, etc. Because the glue roller is also subject to wear on its peripheral surface, a time-consuming recalibration of the glue rail is necessary or desired to maintain the required or desired distance.
Finally, some devices include a gluing apparatus in which the glue application to the glue roller is carried out by an applicator mechanism in the form of a tube with a longitudinal slot. There is no glue scraper for the realization of the glue film from the primary glue application, only a trowel-like scraper on the tubular applicator mechanism which is placed in contact against the glue roller during the pauses between labeling operations to remove residual glue by a pivoting of the glue applicator mechanism.